USA > Illinois > Will County > The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest > Part 20
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In the digging of a well in Wheatland, on Section 6, in 1870, a bone was found forty-four inches long and of the diameter of one foot, supposed to be the bone of the lower leg of a mastodon, which must, it is estimated, have been at least seventeen feet high.
Several of the names we have given in this list were residents of other parts of the county at an earlier date.
THE DUPAGE SETTLEMENT. .
In the town of Dupage (Town 37, Range 10), which lies east of Wheatland, settlements were early made. This town is beautifully watered by the two
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branches of the Du Page which unite just before entering Wheatland. The first settler in this township was Stephen J. Scott, a native of Maryland, who came into this State in 1826, and made a claim at Grose Point, now known as Evanston. He had the year before located on the eastern shore, but was not satisfied with the place, and crossed over with his family. There were then but few white people north of Peoria, besides the garrison. Only two or three families of Indian agents and traders at Chicago. While out hunting with his son Willard, then a young man of twenty or more (now a resident of Naperville, and a banker), he came upon the Du Page River near Plainfield. Struck with the beauty of the stream and the adjacent prairies and groves, he followed the stream until he came to the forks, or the union of the east and west branches, on Section 7. The beauty and evident fertility of the spot led him at once to the determination to leave the vicinity of the lake and locate on that spot, and make it his future home. He, accordingly, in the Autumn of 1830, made his claim, built a comfortable log house and moved his family to the spot. This is the farm now occupied by Mrs. Sheldon.
Willard Scott, who accompanied his father, had acquired a good knowledge of the Indian language and character, and had great influence with the Potta- watomie Indians, and at a council held at Big Woods in 1832, was largely instrumental in preventing the tribe from joining the Sacs in their murderous war upon the early settlers. He had been adopted into the tribe and received an Indian name-Kish-wash, an Eagle. The sterling honesty and undaunted bravery of the young man commanded their respect and confidence. On one of his early hunting expeditions he wandered as far as Holdeman's Grove, and there found a wife in the family of Hawley. This family removed to the same locality in 1830. These Scotts subsequently removed to Naperville and became identified with the history of Du Page County.
In the years 1830-32, this vicinity was selected as their future home by Israel Blodgett, Pierce Hawley (above named), Robert Strong, John Dudley, Ralph Stowell, Harry Boardman, Seth Wescott, Isaac Scarrett, Lester Peet, Simon Terrill, John Barber and Samuel Goodrich. In 1833-35, the settlement was increased by the coming of Andrew Godfrey, Harry Lord, Philip Lord, Hiram Warren, Hannibal Ward, Daniel Stewart, Peter Stewart, Samuel Whallen, Shubal Swift, Joseph Berry, S. Clifford, George Spicer, William Smith and Jonathan Royce and sons.
Isaac Scarrett, above named, was another Methodist pioneer itinerant, and co- laborer with Beggs and Walker, and he succeeded Walker, in 1828, as Super- intendent of Fox River Mission previous to his settlement in Du Page. His son, P. P. Scarrett, was Sheriff of our county in 1854-55. Elder Scarrett died at the residence of his son in Joliet, in May, 1861, at the age of 78. Samuel Whallen was a County Commissioner in the years 1841, 1842 and 1843, and died about five years since at the ripe age of 94. Wm. Smith, commonly known as Col. Smith, removed, in a few years, to this city, having been elected Clerk of the
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Circuit Court, which office he held for seven years. He was a prominent citizen until his death, in November, 1870 ; was 82 years old. His son, R. W. Smith, was Supervisor of Dupage in 1855-57, and has also deceased.
Harry Boardman was one of our most popular and genial citizens and Supervisor of the town in 1855; a son of Jonathan Royce, of same name, was Supervisor of the town in 1870-73. John Barber was the father of our well-known citizen, R. E. Barber, Esq., and settled on the south side of the east branch, and gave name to Barber's Corners. Robert Strong still lives, one of our most worthy citizens and an Elder in the Dupage Presbyterian Church, and was Supervisor of the town in 1862. Judge Blodgett, of Chicago, is a son of Israel Blodgett.
Mrs. Kinzie, wife of John H. Kinzie, one of the earliest Indian Agents of the Northwest, and for a long time a resident of Chicago, in a book which she wrote about her early experience on the frontier, speaks of stopping at Hawley's over night, after a long exposure in traveling from Fort Winnebago to Chicago in the Winter of 1831. A brother of Hawley's was killed by the Indians near his place in 1832, after cruel torture. So far as known, this and the Dunkard preacher, hereafter noticed, were the only persons killed in the Sac war within the bounds of Will County, although, as we shall presently relate, there were many who were badly scared.
Lester Peet taught the first school in the Naperville settlement, Du Page County, by a contract with the early settlers of that locality, for twelve dollars a month. Capt. Jo. Naper heads the list of twelve subscribers, who promised to pay in proportion to the number sent. The writer remembers this ancient pedagogue well in later years as one who always came to Joliet to attend Anti- slavery, Temperance and Bible meetings. The first school in Dupage town is said to have been taught by Josiah Giddings, and the first church organized, in 1333, by Rev. N. C. Clark-we suppose the same church which now exists and to which the veteran J. A. Porter now preaches, and who was also its Pastor many years ago.
The Des Planes River passes through the southeast corner of this town- ship in which is a widening of the river, which has received the name of Goose Lake. Any man who supposes it to be much of a lake would certainly be a goose. Another "Lilly-Cache," which rises near the place where the other stream of the same name rises, runs east and empties into the Des Planes. This, however, is not a navigable stream. Both have their source in springs. Besides the timber along the streams, there is, in the south end of the town, a beautiful island of timber, which, together with a noted spring between it and the river were all known in early times by the name of Lilly-Cache. The old roads from Plainfield to Chicago and from Joliet to Chicago, passed on opposite sides of this island grove and came together upon the highland near Godfrey's (on Section 12), a famous tavern stand in the early times, where we got our first refreshments on the way to Chicago, and the stage-driver " changed horses."
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Godfrey and Spicer, and, perhaps, others named above, settled in this part of the town. The Illinois & Michigan Canal and C., A. & St. Louis R. R., . which follow the course of the river Des Planes, run through the same corner of the town. Martin's Landing, on the canal (a small city), lies on the line of the township, and partly in Dupage and partly in Lockport. There is also a Romeo depot on the railroad. In this vicinity one of the paper cities of the county was early laid off and called Romeo, to match Juliet. It was intended, perhaps, as a rival ; but the starting of Lockport by the canal ended it. Of course, along the east side of the river are found quarries of lime- stone. These will be more particularly described in the township history.
SETTLEMENTS ON HICKORY CREEK.
We pass now to the settlements along Hickory Creek. It must be borne in mind that we are giving the history of early settlements, without strict refer- ence to present town lines. The Hickory Creek settlement would now be in- cluded in the towns of Joliet, New Lenox, Frankfort, Homer, etc. W. R. Rice, in a letter which we find quoted in the combination map of the county, says that in June, 1829, he, together with William Rice, his father, and Miller Ainsley, left Fountain County, Indiana, to take a look at the Far West. He says, " We struck the Iroquois, which we followed to the Kankakee, which, in turn, we followed to the Des Planes. We then went up the latter until we came to Hickory Creek. Going up this a mile or two, we found a Mr. Brown and old Col. Sayre, living in an old Indian bark shanty near where Dr. Allen's house stands (the old Davidson place) ; and about eighty rods northwest across the creek was an old man of the name of Friend, who had a log cabin partly built." This account is no doubt correct. The Brown he speaks of died soon after and was buried on the Davidson place, perhaps the first white burial in Will County. As is well known to all old settlers, Col. Sayre built a saw-mill on the creek, near where the Red Mill now stands, but on the north side of the creek, a little higher up. Mansfield Wheeler, who came to the vicinity in 1833, went into partnership with him. This old mill has long since gone to the limbo . of things that were, but the writer hereof has often seen the saw crashing ruth- lessly through huge oaks and black walnuts to supply the needs of new settlers. It was at this mill that the lumber was sawed for the first frame houses of Joliet, built in 1834.
To this settlement there also came, in 1830, Lewis Kerchival and son, John Gougar, Michael Runyon, Jared Runyon and Jas. Emmett; in 1831-John Nor- man, Jos. Norman, Aaron Ware, Thos. and Abraham Francis, Isaac Pence and Samuel Pence. There is a tradition that Jo Smith, the Mormon, once preached at the Point, and that Jas. Emmett and others were converts and left the vicinity. In 1832, were added Cornelius C. Van Horne, John Stitts, Peter Watkins and sons, Wm. Gougar and son Nicholas, and Joseph, Alfred and James Johnson. The Johnsons located on Spring Creek, in the edge of what was known as Yankee
.
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Settlement, most of which is now embraced in the town of Homer. To these were added, in 1833, Isaac Reynolds and his three sons, Smith, Newton and Milton Reynolds, Judge Davidson and Matthew Van Horne; and in 1834, G. S. Green- wood, John Broadie and John Cooper and sons. Later, in 1835 to 1837, came John Carl, Abel Bliss, L. A. Cleveland and many others. It will be understood that the above list includes settlers on both the north and south sides of the creek ; some on what is now known as Maple street. Ohio, Indiana and New York furnished most of these settlers. Most of these have passed away. Some have left sons that perpetuate their family names and are counted among our best citizens.
A daughter of the elder Pence has the distinction of being the first Joliet bride, for a description of whose wedding the reader is referred to "Forty Years Ago." Perhaps the most prominent of the persons named above, in our history, was C. C. Van Horne. He taught the first school in the vicinity in the Winter of 1832. His place in the point of timber that makes out into the prairie, in which are the Camp Grounds of the Methodist brethren, was known in the early days as Van Horne's Point. He was a marked character, well and extensively known throughout Cook County, of which we then formed a part. He was a man of liberal education, great shrewdness, abundant self-esteem and tenacity of purpose. He got the appointment of Postmaster and Justice of the Peace soon after coming here. The only mail route at that time in the county was a weekly horseback one from Danville to Chicago. This passed by the cabin of Uncle Billy Gougar. As Van Horne resided some distance to the east, the office was kept by one of the Gougar boys. In 1834-5, before a post office was established at the city of Joliet, the writer hereof made weekly pil- grimages to Uncle Billy's, after the longed-for letters from home. Well can he recall the old log house (long since replaced by a comfortable frame farm cot- tage), with its two rooms, in one of which the post office was kept. In what a striking contrast to the place where he now gets his mail, was that old dry- goods box, roughly pigeon-holed, with the letters of the alphabet rudely inked on the edges of each partition. With what greed he seized a letter when he happened to get one, although it cost a quarter, and had been several weeks on its dreary way. He remembers how, on one occasion, he had to pay about a dollar for a pamphlet, the margins of which were covered with writing, contrary to law. But it was heap, even at that price ! And the writers of those letters -where are they ? Gone ! all gone !
But we are sadly digressing. Van Horne was one of our most useful cit- izens in those days, transacting the business of the early settlers, aiding them in obtaining their claims and land titles. It was the good fortune of the writer to make his acquaintance before that of any other settler, having met him some- where this side of Niles, when coming into the country, and riding back with him to "Van Horne's Point." It was, perhaps, owing as much to his influ- ence as to the good sense of the settlers generally, that two years after he was
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elected as the first Recorder of the county. But we soon forfeited his friend- ship by our bad behavior in apostatizing to abolition. But we are anticipating. It will be well remembered that Van Horne, some years ago, removed to Joliet, and was elected the first Mayor under our city charter, and how he "magnified his office." It may not be improper to add that one of his sons is now Super- intendent of an important Western railroad. C. C. Van Horne died of cholera in 1854.
Several members of the Reynolds family still live in our county. J. S. Rey- nolds, who was brevetted General near the close of the late war, and who com- manded the Sixty-fourth Regiment in the important battle at Bentonville, on Sherman's march from Savannah to Washington, is a son of one of them. . Hig- ginbotham moved to town many years ago, and built a fine house, where his widow (now Mrs. Sutphen) still lives, while his sons perpetuate his name. He died in March, 1865.
Many yet living will remember Uncle Billy Gougar, so noted for his strong good sense and sterling integrity. He held the important trust of County Com- missioner in 1840 and 1841. He died in 1861 at the age 78. Father Beggs officiated at his funeral, which was largely attended. Lewis Kerchival was one of the best citizens and farmers in the county, and died some years since. His son James C., was Supervisor of the town of New Lenox in 1854 and 1855, and again in 1858. He died in 1873 at the age of 55, a worthy son of a worthy sire. Jarod Runyon was, for some years, a Justice of the Peace of the village of Lockport, and now resides in California. We had a visit from him a few years since.
FIRST BALL.
Mrs. Kinzie, in her "Waubun," gives an account of a ball on Hickory Creek, in 1831. She does not tell us at whose house it was held, but we have ascertained that it was at Mr. Friend's .* Three out of the five single gentlemen, then resident at Chicago, came down to this ball on horseback, of course. One or two of them were officers from the Fort. Parties of this kind were not very frequent, the guests had to be collected from great distances, and consequently they were somewhat prolonged. This one opened with a sumptu- ous repast at noon, at which every luxury which the country then afforded was dispensed in profusion. As the art of printing had not then been introduced into this region, we have no menu of the feast, but we know what the possibili- ties of the time were. The piece de resistance was undoubtedly a haunch of venison roasted, which might have been supported with fried bacon and prairie chickens. The entremets might have been pumpkin pie, crab-apple sauce, or stewed wild plums, and the fruit was probably melons and wild grapes. There was, also, no doubt, an abundant supply of corn dodgers, saleratus biscuit and wild
* In "Forty Years Ago," we hazarded the conjecture that it was probably at Kerchival's. Weare glad of this oppor- tunity to make the correction, not only because we desire to be a correct and reliable historian, but because we wish to do justice to both the families named. On the one hand, Mrs. Kerchival was, we are glad to say, a very religious woman, and would not be likely to encourage a ball ; and, on the other, Mr. Friend and faulily should not be deprived of the honor of being the first to plant the institution in Will County. We do not suppose that they ought to be held responsible for the melancholy denouement.
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honey. The ball opened at 2 o'clock, and was kept up, with a short recess for supper, until the next morning. But the gay scene was terminated by a tragedy. The Chicago gentlemen, it is presumed, were more stylishly dressed and put on city airs, and were so agreeable and forward in their attentions to the country belles that the native beaux were eclipsed and compelled to take back seats. The Chicago bloods were highly elated with the manner in which they carried off the favors of the girls. Their satisfaction was, however, greatly dampened on discovering, when they got out their fine horses, in the early dawn, preparatory to their return, that by some strange visitation they (the horses) had lost their manes and tails.
JUDGE DAVIDSON.
Judge Davidson came to this section in 1830, from the State of Indiana. He was originally from the State of New Jersey, where, when a poor young man, earning his living at surveying, he found a lot of pine land which had not been taken up. He managed to secure it, and immediately took his ax and "lifted it up against the big trees." This not only made him " famous," but put some money in his purse, with which he came to Indiana and there invested it in lands at Government price. This soon made him rich. When he came to Hickory Creek, he entered not only the well-known Davidson farm, but several others; and he was, while he lived, one of our most prominent and substantial men, although of retiring disposition, and never seeking office. When he came here, he was still a bachelor, and in the prime of life. He met his fate in the daughter of one of his tenants (Mr. More), to whom he was married, and by whom he had two daughters, well known in Joliet society. His widow has since married Dr. B. F. Allen. It is said that the Judge always kept the ax with which he hewed his way to fortune. He acquired his title of Judge in Indiana, where he held the office of Probate Judge. He died in March, 1844, at the age of 57.
JOLIET TOWNSHIP.
About the same time, another settlement was made, mostly on the south side of Hickory, in Joliet Township. Robert Stevens and David Maggard made claims in 1830, and brought their families in 1831. Stevens located on the well-known Stevens' place (on Section 2), a well-chosen selection, which made him, in time, the possessor of a valuable property. The first " fair grounds " were located on this property in a beautiful grove of oak openings, a beautiful and abundant spring supplying water. These grounds, with the fair buildings, were afterward occupied as a soldiers' camp and barracks, when it became necessary to subdue the "onpleasantness " of our Southern brethren. David Maggard settled on the bluff on the west side of the Des Planes about opposite the Rolling Mills. His cabin was the first one erected in the present limits of our city. It stood on the edge of a ravine up which passed the Sac trail. This trail, it is perhaps necessary to many readers to explain, was the trail made by the feet of the Indians and their ponies on their yearly journeys
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from the Great West to Fort Malden, in Canada, to receive the annuities which it was the cunning policy of the English Government to keep up long after the country had passed from their possession. The fruit of this policy was appar- ent in the fact that in the war of 1812, the Indians were generally, secretly, if not openly, on the side of England, and in the massacre at Chicago, and other barbarities. This trail, which was for many years very plain and distinct, and which was a well-known guide for the early voyager over the prairie from Niles hither, and which is now probably entirely obliterated, divided somewhere near the present cemetery, one branch going south to Ottawa, crossed the old ford below Joliet, and the other crossed the ford opposite Maggard's cabin and went on by Walker's Grove to the Great River.
In 1831, Philip Scott, William Bilsland, Major Robert Cook and his aged father, a Revolutionary soldier, Daniel Robb, Jesse Cook and Reason Zarley, were added to the settlement. Seth Scott and Aaron Moore, also John Nor- man, came in 1832; William Hadsell and John Goodenow, in 1833; Joseph and Jacob Zumalt, in 1834. We suppose Mr. Goodenow to be the same man who settled in Yankee Settlement before the war. He was the father of Mrs. Michael Rodgers, and died some years since at Reed's Grove.
Reason Zarley came here from Ohio, was one of our first Justices of the Peace while we were yet a part of Cook County. He died Aug. 30, 1859, aged 68 years and six months. He was born in 1791; served in the war of 1812, and was one of the few survivors that returned from the bloody engagement at Brownstown, where one hundred and thirty Americans were assailed by eight hundred Indian and four hundred British soldiers. He was in the army at the time of Hull's sur- render. He came into the State in 1829, and to this township in 1831, and settled upon the well-known Zarley farm, which he had purchased when the canal land was in market, under the act of 1829. There were few here then except Indians. When the Black Hawk war broke out, he went, with his family, to Danville, returning, after it was over, to the same place, where he resided until his death. He was a man of sterling character, high moral senti- ments, sound mind and strong, good sense and judgment. A large concourse of citizens attended his remains to their resting-place. A Chillicothe, Ohio, paper, noticing his death, speaks of him as one of the pioneers of that country. He was a man of large influence in shaping the early politics of Will County. It is hardly necessary to say that he has supplied us in his sons with two editors and printers, one of whom has lately deceased, while the other, familiarly known as " Cal," still gives shape to our politics and school affairs ; while a third son, sometimes called " Bill," after long and useful service as City Clerk, has got a comfortable seat as County Clerk in the old Court House. Another son, Linton, died in 1850, at the age of 24, having just entered upon the practice of law.
When our county was erected, Robert Stevens was elected Sheriff with great unanimity. He was most deservedly popular. But he did not covet
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office, and he declined to qualify, and all that Summer we were without a Sheriff. We are glad to be able to state that this is the only time we know of Bob Stevens (as he was familiarly called) shrinking from his duty, and we knew him pretty well. And for the honor of Will County, we are also glad to be able to state, and we do it without fear of contradiction, that from that day to this there has been no difficulty in getting men to fill the office of Sheriff, or any other county office. Indeed, sometimes there has seemed to be a super- abundance of men who were willing to serve the public. We shall, by and by, give a list of those who have shown their devotion to our county by actual serv- ice. We should be glad to give a list of those who have been willing to do so had the county needed them, but this would require more room than our pub- lisher could spare. Robert Stevens was a native of Kentucky, and raised in Ohio and Indiana. He died in January, 1864.
William Hadsell, named above, still lingers in our midst, and may often be seen upon our streets carrying the weight of 88 years of an industrious and honest life. He begins to fail, but says he should have lived to a handred easy enough if he had not got caught in a storm on the prairie a few years since and had to fight lightning, which was a harder fight than he ever had with the British, although a soldier in the war 1812.
John Norman erected the first flouring-mill in Joliet-we wish we had a picture of it and the surroundings, as we well remember them. About opposite the Penitentiary there was an island in the Des Planes, heavily wooded-a romantic spot then, where the writer often went in search of plants and flowers. At the head of this island, across one channel, Norman built a brush and gravel dam, which threw the current strong upon the other side; near this he built a log mill. His wheel was placed in the current, and the shaft running into the mill, turned the machinery which ground the corn. A very simple affair, hav- ing the capacity of twelve or fifteen bushels of corn in twenty-four hours, but very useful in those early days when corn-dodgers formed an important part of the daily rations. This old mill was not as big a thing as the rolling-mills opposite, but it was built without municipal aid.
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